Hair of the Dog Brewing Company

8/14/2008 10:04:42 AM, thursday, august 14, 2008
Unforgettable experience. We called Alan for an appointment and could stop by that afternoon. It was very hot that day, also in the brewery. He was showing us around and let us taste incredible brews. Also a sneak peak at some new brews. We also shared an aged st. bernardus abt 12. Very friendly. Don’t make an appointment ahead, Alan likes it not planned ahead, but on the day itself.

8/3/2008 10:47:45 AM, sunday, august 03, 2008
Visited on a Monday morning. We didn’t really have an appointment, although we had called Alan several times to let him know we were wanting to stop by. We took a chance, and he was there and showed us around. The place itself isn’t much to look at, but it was still cool nonetheless. Alan could not have been a nicer guy to us, and gave us generous samples of the HotD beers. And those beers were great. He gave us a tour, was very intelligent and informative, and it was a great experience. A must-stop destination if in Portland, but be sure to have an appointment.

5/19/2008 2:57:13 AM, monday, may 19, 2008
Great beers, not much doubt about that. But I’ve never understood the high rating for HOTD as a place. As a place to go, there are considerable limitations in every category that is considered the base criteria for rating places on ratebeer. Many of the people who have rated it so highly appear to have visited when there was a special event of some kind, be it the ratebeer summer gathering or what have you. And that is truly where Alan is at his best. If you can go there on the right day at the right time, he is very hospitable and it can be a fabulous experience. But for a day-to-day place to hang out &/or drink a variety of good beers, I think it is grossly overrated for the average joe beer tourist, or local beer lover who is not part of “the scene”. If you want to go here and get that tops-in-the-world experience, make sure you contact the brewery in advance and see if they’ll make arrangements to entertain you. Otherwise you might be really disappointed. The out-of-the-way location and occasionally sporadic hours can be annoying when you show up and can’t even get in.

1/26/2008 9:54:05 PM, saturday, january 26, 2008
Just getting around to logging some of my Place ratings. Have be in Hair of the dog 2 times. The first was great. Alan gave me and my wife a tour of the place. Let me sample all of the Great stuff he has there. Even the GREAT DAVE WOW. The second was a quick stop picked up a case of some 07 stuff. Alan is a great guy. If you are in Portland YOU HAVE TO STOP IN. I wish we could get some HOTD stuff in Boise.

1/14/2008 12:57:23 AM, monday, january 14, 2008
There is only one bad thing about this place, other than that it is a marvel and an incredibily exciting place if you like amazing beer. The one complaint is that the Brewery is pretty cold inside, but that complaint is minor, Alan came in and gave us a tour and tasting that lasted 2 hours on New Years Eve 07 and it was pretty incredible. Great beers including trying some killer beers that are in the process of maturing. This place is a must if your in Portland. And honestly it wasn’t too hard to find.

12/14/2007 11:32:19 PM, friday, december 14, 2007 [ Updated friday, december 14, 2007 ]
Really tucked away in a corner of an old industrial park right next to the river. I wouldn’t recommend missing coming here if you’re even remotely a fan. It’s amazing what Alan has done with Hair of the Dog, and he was a very pleasant host. The man is a true craft brewer. We were there on brew day - - Fred. I wish I could’ve hung out and bent Alan’s ear for a bit longer, but he’s quite a busy guy, doing nearly everything except bottling all by himself. Fascinating and very highly recommended stop in Portland. You have to call ahead of time, though, and follow the directions on the web site closely.

12/15/2006 8:39:27 PM, friday, december 15, 2006
Don’t miss a tour when Alan has the smoker up and running. HOTD beers and smoked tri-tip plus picking Alan’s brain and visiting the winery next door... this was one of the highlights of my trip. I missed Oakes however even though he was there.

8/13/2006 1:34:55 AM, sunday, august 13, 2006
High-ceilinged industrial park brewery. About six taps or so, plus various bottles and schwag for sale. Alan is a solid host and cooked up some good food for the OBF Open House, though there isn’t usually food available.

6/12/2006 9:55:35 PM, monday, june 12, 2006
This is a TOP 5 Brewery for me. Impossible to find. It is hidden in the back, front, around the corner and then hidden some more behind/within some kind of industrial area. But a must visit. I always will when in PDX. Alan has the most amazing talent in the business. So holds barred. It is very tiny and very simple. But that’s all it takes. I remember a banana tree growing in the middle of the place. It added the right amoung of color to the atmosphere. I had the extreme pleasure of trying DAVE whlie I was there during the 2004 OBF. Long live HOTD!

6/9/2006 10:34:13 PM, friday, june 09, 2006
Made my way here on a Monday afternoon shortly after the bottled release of Fred from the Wood--GO BUY IT. This place is challenging to find to say the very least. There is a stairwell from the sidewalk on the main little drag that brings you to 24th ave--TAKE IT. Signage is also not overly large. Very small, industrial garage-like feel that’s not all that different from Alesmith. Once inside, I met up with Alan--I didn’t realize that this was basically a 1 man-show. We chatted for about 15-20 minutes and offered me some samples from the 5 or so samples on the wall. There were also some vintage bottles for sale as well. He was brewing and gave me a really quick tour, which is easy due to the operation being very small. I didn’t want to bother him while he was busy brewing, so I basically bought a couple of bottles and let him go onto producing his great beer. Unfortunately, this place is rated as the top place in all of Portland, and it clearly is not. I think this is due to people giving it a perfect score for food when it doesn’t even serve food. Alan mentioned that he was going to be decreasing his distribution because he is currently brewing at full capacity and local sales are good enough that it does not make fiscal sense to distribute to 15 states any more.